A Shelter of Decay
by Bulldust
Summary: A mule deer fawn is born into a world of danger and a never ending field of prairie. Don't move, don't breathe, for everything wants to kill you.


The sparse meadows of the lowlands rolled gently in the cool wind, painting the serene landscape in a soft glow. The sun was making its way across the sky at a steady amble, soon to disappear beyond the horizon in a few short hours. The sky had yet to be set ablaze in fiery colors, but the grasslands that surrounded the area had turned a remarkable shade of gold.

The grass itself was quite old. Its stems have grown too long and its stalks too brittle, holding very little sustenance. The lack of natural fires during the last summer had resulted in the fields becoming overgrown with dead or dying grass, stained yellow with age and drought. Perhaps in the future it will be burned and reborn into a lush valley once more for many animals to enjoy, but for now, it was a nursery for one small family.

Meandering in the thick canopy of grass was a family of mule deer, a lone resident buck with a handful of does. The wreath of antlers it once adorned had long since fallen in the last winter, leaving it vulnerable to predation just the same as the herd that followed it. Their only defense against an attack was to run, but they couldn't afford to take flight just yet.

It was late spring, a time where all animals who were healthy and strong would raise their young. The bison had already began calving, bringing their new generation into the world. A mother black bear was spotted with a pair of cubs toddling along behind it just a few days prior. Soon more families will dot the Yellowstone landscape, but the same couldn't be said for this herd. It was a harsh winter for them, with only two does being able to conceive.

Along the edge of the little group was one of them. A new mother, who was coddling a young fawn. He was a clumsy little thing, he could barely keep on his feet in time to nurse. His mother didn't mind, instead cleaning off the fresh blood of new life from his wet flank as the breeze stirred along the grass.

The little fawn moved closer to his mother's side, trying to shield himself from the wind when a cry sounded. Seconds later he was kicked to the ground as he heard pounding feet flee from him. He was dazed and couldn't understand what was happening. He was about to cry out when it hit him. A primal sense of wrongness and danger that told him to hide. A second later a towering figure flew over him, its fur a gray and white blur. It crashed through the grass, followed by its subordinates.

Had the fawn ducked a mere moment later, it would have been in the grasp of a wolf. Massive paws designed to run and chase down all it wished to kill, and a mouth full of teeth to rip its prey to shreds. A few more wolves bounded through the field after the mule deer, leaving the little fawn paralyzed in the golden grass.

Night had fallen, and the fawn lay unmoving in his shelter. His speckled body was stock still, too afraid to move. It had long gone silent, save for the few howls that passed in between the wolves. To the ordinary eye, all was well. But the stench of blood made the are thick with fear. He waited under his canopy of dead grass for his mother, too afraid to wander alone.

But moments turned to minutes, minutes turned to hours, and the night progressively got darker and colder. Fear still gripped his little heart, but a stronger, deeper emotion rooted itself into his very being.

Abandonment.

His body wanted to hide away into the shadows until he disappeared, until it stopped being scary, but it had been so long since he had been by his mother's side. He _needed _her, as much as he wanted to stay.

On quiet, shaking legs, the young fawn stood up. His legs were a lot less wobbly then when he was born, but with the lack of nourishment, warmth, and comfort, he was in no condition to run. On unsteady feet, he walked into the grass. It was like a maze of decay and stems, and he could barely see anything around him. But he needed to move, he had to go to where his mother was.

His little hooves stumbled into the darkness, and another set of feet echoed his in the gloom. He dropped down into the stems once more, fear holding his heart in a vice like grip. The rustling continued for a few more moments before he could see a figure in the grass just a few feet away from him. It didn't have the warm brown hide of his mother. Instead, it had the shaggy gray coat of a wolf. Its fur was ragged and clumping in places, and its entire being smelled like death and _wrongness_.

Its heavy feet stomped in the grass, and it's hot breath blew hazy clouds in the twilight, but the most crippling and terrifying part of it were its eyes. No eyes should ever look so frightening. Two glowing orbs pierced the gloom, like two burning suns in the darkness. Its golden eyes stared directly at the fawn, and he didn't move, couldn't move.

The few seconds of contact felt like hours, and he forgot how to breathe. The menacing pressure of those eyes lifted from his hiding place, and the wolf trotted away, past him and moving far into the distance. The wolf had been gone for hours, but the fawn didn't move.

He thought he was dreaming when his world started getting lighter. After the longest night of his short life, the sky began to glow with the soft rays of sunlight. The shadows were long as they crept back into their holes, and the fawn felt himself breath a little easier.

The sky was stained in a light yellow when he heard it. It was very soft, so faint he thought he imagined it. But it came again, closer and stronger. There was a call coming from the trees. It was foreign to him, but at the same time so achingly familiar. It had to be her. He tried to stand up, but couldn't muster more than a crouch before collapsing. He was cold, weak, and exhausted, but he had to get to her. He tried to stand again, and managed to stand on swaying legs. He gave a weak call to the trees, and received a reply moments later. Hope bloomed in his chest, inspiring him to hobble forward on trembling feet to the woodlands, giving louder calls as he went.

His next call was cut off by a choked wail of pain when teeth sank into his skull. He was plowed into the ground by another wolf. No, not a wolf, too small and it was golden. His calling and stumbling had attracted a coyote, who took great joy in having an easy meal. Its small jaws peeled itself from his face and latched onto the fawn's neck, fitting perfectly along its spine. The newborn's world was spiralling with pain and fear, and his vision was growing blurry.

A hard kick in the chest sent the coyote flying. The fawn crumbled to the ground gasping for breathe when a mule deer charged at the coyote again, kicking up earth and grass in her wake. Another swing sent the canid running, back into the meadow where it disappeared among the grass.

His bleeding face was then met with a warm nose, nuzzling into his scalp and licking the pain away. He looked up at the face of his savior, and his mother's face stared back. The dawn sunlight turned her soft brown flank into a warm gold, and he felt all his fears wash away in the new light. It was finally hitting him that he was _safe_, and he wasn't alone anymore. And he felt happy. So, so happy to be back by his mother's side.

As he nursed, he came to the realization that this wasn't going to be over. There would be many more times in his life that he will be separated, lost, hurt, or even get killed. But he had survived. He could have been killed three times by predators who crossed his path. He could have died from exposure or starvation. He could have been dead and rotting in the yellow grass he took shelter in. But he didn't. He was alive, and although he was barely a day old, he felt a little stronger, and a little wiser.

The doe gently groomed her fawn in the early sunrise, before gently guiding it towards the woodlands, out of the sea of yellow grass that threatened to swallow him whole.

Author's Note: I tried something different here. Instead of my usual band of characters, I went with a mule deer fawn. You usually don't see non wolf characters in the WolfQuest fandom, so I wanted to add some flavor. I might turn him into a proper OC later.

If you want to have a better expierence reading and get to know more about the lore of my characters, visit my amino profile here: /c/wolfquest/page/user/bulldust-is-busy/JJBm_EXI0fV7pM6J5dJ8mmDxL8BerXB6dWHm


End file.
